Woman in DUI fatality fails to appear in court

In this April 11, 2011, Day file photo, Dina Senibaldi appears before Judge Kevin McMahon in New London Superior Court on charges stemming from a fatal accident on Interstate 395 Aug. 8, 2011.Sean D. Elliot/The Day file photoBuy Photo

A Massachusetts woman charged with causing the April 8, 2011, crash on Interstate 395 that killed Lisa Delprete and seriously injured another man was ordered rearrested after she failed to appear in court Thursday.

Dina Senibaldi, 28, of Everett, Mass., is facing trial in New London Superior Court on numerous charges, including of second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle while intoxicated. In opting for a trial, she rejected the state's offer to plead guilty in exchange for a six-year prison sentence.

Senibaldi was due in court Thursday afternoon, when her attorney, Bryan P. Fiengo, and prosecutor Michael E. Kennedy planned to discuss the case with Judge Susan B. Handy. When the judge called the case after 3 p.m., Senibaldi was not present, and Fiengo said he had not heard from his client.

Senibaldi was free on a total of $150,000 in bonds. The judge called the bonds — meaning the issuer has six months to find the defendant or produce the money — and ordered Senibaldi rearrested and held in lieu of $300,000 cash.

According to state police, Senibaldi was driving 100 mph and was under the influence of alcohol when the Dodge Avenger she was driving rear-ended a Jeep Grand Cherokee driving in the right-hand lane of I-395 South, near Exit 77 in Waterford.

A passenger in the Jeep, 45-year-old Delprete of North Haven, was killed, and the driver, Edmund Davis of New Haven, was severely injured. The Jeep flipped onto its passenger side and landed on a guard rail, trapping Delprete in the passenger seat.

Davis underwent multiple surgeries for a severe scalp laceration and facial injuries, broken ribs and a collapsed lung, He has been attending all of Senibaldi's court appearances and on Thursday said he was frustrated with the length of time the case has taken and was unhappy with the amount of prison time offered to Senibaldi.

Davis said he still has physical problems as a result of the accident and may require back surgery. He has a pending civil lawsuit against Senibaldi.

Davis and his attorney had argued for a higher bond for Senibaldi and had notified the court that she was a fugitive from justice in a Florida prostitution case. In requesting an increased bond following Senibaldi's failure to appear in court Thursday, Kennedy, the prosecutor, noted the seriousness of the charges.

He said Senibaldi has several convictions and that the court has verified that she fled the prostitution trial in Florida.